Blogs from Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 11

Today’s challenge was the transfer between cities. We had to be at the Viazul bus station at 10.15 to catch the bus to Trinidad at 10.45. We were up early to pack and get some breakfast. I had suggested we get up at 6.30 to give ourselves plenty of time. However, we were showered, packed and ready to go by eight which gave us a little to much time. Just before nine we made our way down to a nearby café we thought would be open (and it was) for breakfast. It was a good thing that we were there early because the simple matter of getting coffee and some eggs on toast took nearly an hour the service was so slow. Service in Havana is not consistent. Sometimes you get prompt efficient service, the next ... read more

We left Buenos Aires in the early hours of the morning and flew to Havana, via Lima, Peru. Arrival at the airport was organized chaos, as are many aspects of Cuban life; money and internet being two examples. As the world becomes a cashless society, Cuba is basically cash only and for tourists they even have their own currency, which is tied to the US dollar (even though US dollars themselves are not wecome and despised in Cuba). Sterling and Euros rule the roost here. Since the revolution the country has seen many changes. Now there is education and health care for all. However before the revolution there were trains and a decent bus service. No trains now and the buses are inconsistent and appear to run when someone feels like driving one. You see many ... read more

This morning after an absolutely terrible night’s sleep I was up at 5.30. The bed is really hard an I am struggling to get a decent night’s sleep. After two hours of staring at the wall I decided to get up and do some blogging, look over my photos and anything else I can do while not disturbing Jo. I quietly crept out of bed, felt around in the dark for my laptop and silent crept toward the door taking care not to bump into anything. Go to open the door CRRRREEAAAKKKK. So much for being quite trying to sneak out of the oldest bedroom in Havana. Eventually I did get tired enough to sleep and went ack to bed. I woke up at 9.30 to the sounds of my phone pinging. I was getting notifications ... read more

This morning we were up bright eyed and bushy tailed for our journey into Cuba. The flights were relatively uneventful. Two flights from New Orleans (which we left covered in fog) to Miami and then onto Havana. Jo inadvertently found a work around for the baggage charge for American flights. They charge you $25 per checked bag. I dutifully paid and checked my bag, Jo took hers through as carry on. (so many folks do that here) At the gates they ask again if you would like to check your bags at which point Jo decided yes I would. No charge. Smart cookie that one We purchased our Visa’s in Miami, three forms which ask all the standard questions and strenuously point out that you must fill in all details correctly. Another form will result in ... read more

I awoke at around 6:30am. I knew the sunrise was at about 7am, so I wanted to start early. I dressed and left for the Malecon. The temperatures were very low for Cubans, but I was fine in just a t-shirt. I think they said it was down to the 50s overnight. The wind was causing some very heavy surf, and the waves were crashing over the Malecon wall. I walked up and down the area, and then went up to the Capitolio. It was a nice day, and I had some good chats with different folks while walking around. One guy walked me over to a small local breakfast place. I had some ham and eggs with coffee. It was a lovely meal. After that, I just walked around for most of the day. In ... read more